


Culinary Exploration

by Cornerofmadness



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-20
Updated: 2012-03-20
Packaged: 2017-11-02 06:06:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/365771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their son loves to explore the world via his dinner plate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Culinary Exploration

**Author's Note:**

> **series** \-- manga  
>  **Disclaimer** \-- Arakawa owns all
> 
> **Timeline/Spoilers** \-- post 108
> 
> **Author’s Note** \-- I knew I wanted to do something with Ed. This is what suggested itself. The odd pasta in question is pasta ala aglio olio. Thanks to for the beta. This was written for ’s ‘pasta’ prompt and took second place. made the lovely banner. [](http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v671/VampDicons/?action=view&current=2ndpastabybay115.png)

They had a deal. She wanted her kids to be allowed to explore whatever they wanted, within reason. Zachary had taken to food as his way of learning about the world, in no small part because of his Uncle Al. On the other hand, Ed, with all his food phobias, wasn’t thrilled about this. The deal was if the kids wanted to try something reasonable – a jar of jam being deemed unreasonable as a main dish for dinner much to Zachary’s chagrin – then Edward had to eat it without complaint. Winry made him at least sip milk and pretend it was good if that’s what it took to make the kids drink it.

Zachary loved pasta. Edward hated it. Winry liked that it was easy to cook and after working all day and coming home to three kids under the age of six, some nights she needed that. There was no trick in getting Zach to eat it. Anything on a noodle made him happy. She could toss a few butter pats on it and Zach would slurp them up. No, it was her husband who took a little convincing to eat them. Al brought back recipes from Xing and other points east. Upon hearing how much Ed hated pasta, Mr. Mustang and his sisters offered up all sorts of recipes from places Winry had only heard of in books. Winry was never quite sure just how many people the general and his mother knew, but obviously, they had a friend everywhere.

“Pasta?” Ed whined better than their six year old son.

“Two types,” Winry replied brightly. “Zachary wanted to try the one with the garlic oil and salty fish from Creata and the regular tomato sauce one for Evie and Theo.”

“Fish.” Ed’s face wrinkled up even more. “The little ones in the can?”

“Look at your son. He heard Al talking about it and just had to try it.”

“Disgusting. Can I have the regular stuff if I have to eat it?”

“You have to eat it and yes, there’s plenty of the tomato sauce.” Winry sighed. She sort of suspected Ed would not get adventurous. She had tasted the garlic and fish sauce and instead of being fishy and strong, it had a pleasant, salty-nutty taste. She’d try to cajole Edward into once it was on the table.

“Wait, did you say you were going to feed pasta to Theo?”

“He’s getting old enough.”

Ed shrugged. “If you say so. I’ll go round them up.”

Winry nodded, knowing she’d have several more minutes before everyone’s hands passed muster as far as cleanliness went and even longer before Ed could settle their oldest two down and strap Theo into the high chair. She got the salad dished out and took the crusty bread out of the oven where it had been warming. By the time everything was on the table, including both pastas, the kids were ready. Zach dug into the fishy one, his gold eyes alight. 

“Good, son?” Ed grinned at him.

“Mmmmm! You need to try, Daddy.” Zach jabbed his fork at his father.

“I’m helping Theo with his pasta,” Ed said. “Later, okay?”

Zach eyed him with a knowing look. “You always say that, but you never try all the neatest stuff! I’ll feed Theo.” Zach waggled the fork.

Ed looked to Winry for help, but she just shook her head grinning. Ed reached around the high chair to take the fork while Zach raised the bowl of tomato sauced pasta, cut up small, to his brother’s face. Ignoring Ed’s face-making, Winry watched her youngest curl his fingers around the edge of the bowl.

“Zach, sweetie, don’t get it so close to him,” she warned a little too late.

Theo tugged on it and Zach pulled back. “No, Theo,” Zach said but his brother, the most ‘Elric’ of all their kids to date, wasn’t about to be deterred. Theo gave the bowl a hard tug and it pulled out of Zach’s hands, upending on Theo’s head. Theo’s eyes widened then squinched up as he wailed, sauce dripping down his head.

“Oh Theo!” Winry popped up with practiced ease. Most nights her kids wore as much food as they ate. Ed jumped up, too.

“Winry, don’t clean him yet!” He headed for the sideboard where he had a camera stashed. Ed had one in almost every room. She wondered if he had learned the trick from Mr. Hughes when he was younger. The one saving grace was Ed didn’t inflict the pictures on everyone.

Pictures taken, son cleaned and soothed, they settled back down. Winry took over feeding Theo, leaving Zach and Evie to Edward, who found himself having to eat several more mouthfuls of the garlic-fish dish. Setting the kids free after dinner, Ed helped her clean up.

“It wasn’t so bad,” he said at last. “The fish one, but it’s still pasta.”

“Tomorrow, you have a half day at the school. I’ll season up a chicken and you can bake it,” she replied, knowing it was one of his favorites.

“I have a better idea, well, not about dinner. That does sound good.” He turned to her with dish soapy hands. “Tonight after the kids are in bed.” Ed didn’t need to say more. The wicked gleam in his eyes was enough.

Winry kissed him. “Deal.”


End file.
